Mitt Romney fails three key tests of leadership

The most important quality required to be the president of the United States is that of leadership. As a second lieutenant very early in my 28-year military career, I learned three things necessary to be a good leader.

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seacoastonline.com

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Posted Sep. 23, 2012 at 2:00 AM

Posted Sep. 23, 2012 at 2:00 AM

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The most important quality required to be the president of the United States is that of leadership. As a second lieutenant very early in my 28-year military career, I learned three things necessary to be a good leader.

First, never ask a subordinate to do something you are not willing to do yourself. Second, never make comments or decisions without having all the necessary facts. Third, never ever lie.

Over the current campaign for president, I have watched Gov. Romney fail all these three key tests. While he asked all his potential vice president candidates to give him 10 years of tax returns to review, he refuses to do the same and share with "you people," meaning us, the same level of information he required of others.

His recent harmful comments about the statement made by the American Embassy in Egypt were made without first learning or understanding all the facts. The fact that the embassy statement was made before any attack on the American Consulate, not embassy, in Lybia, was never considered by Gov. Romney shows a lack of real leadership.

As a candidate, Gov. Romney has repeatedly made false statements about President Obama's policies and positions. He has lied about the welfare waiver policy to allow states to develop creative programs to get people off welfare and back to work. He has lied about the $714 billion Medicare funds taken from wasteful insurance subsidies, which did not in any way reduce benefits to Medicare recipients. In fact, the Medicare trust fund has been extended for an additional eight years and seniors now get more free preventive services and the Medicare drug doughnut hole has been almost totally closed as a result of this policy.

Gov. Romney has failed these key tests of leadership. Simply being a person who has made a lot of money during your career does not make you a leader. Leadership is much more than possessing wealth, it is a personal trait that demonstrates who and what we are as human beings.